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> As I understand the example, wouldn't it be in the players interest to choose personality runes for their characters that match those of the god they want to belong to?
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> I know this sounds awfully like min/maxing (it is, evil Dougie), but if the active (ie fun) magic only come when these runes match, then it seems a no-brainer...
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> Dougie.
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Well, yes-ish.
That is:
- I suspect most Gloranthans' personal runes match those of the god that they worship. For whatever reason the runes people will tend to have in a culture will probably tend to correspond to those of their gods, and people will probably tend to be drawn to / chosen by the gods whose runes match their own. So most people will match, so when it comes to simulating Glorantha there is reason to match.
- Obviously there is incentive to match runes well, to have access to the most active magic. So when it comes to using the rules to give you lots of fun crunchy bits to play with, there is reason to match.
- How many play groups have not had someone who wanted to play a newtling in Pavis, a morose bear-hsunchen in Sartar, or a Vadeli exiled for having a conscience who has taken up the Lunar cause? Some portion of players like playing oddballs, ducks out of water, corner cases, or whatever you like to call them. Maybe because they like to be different, maybe because they git hit with inspirations and like to run with it, maybe they have one type they always like to play no matter the setting, or maybe they like the stories that come from not fitting in well. So there can be all sorts of personal and/or story reason for mis-matching in some possibly non-optimized way.
- It may not always be totally non-optimal. I don't know what runes Yinkin will have in the new Sartar book, but I would presume "Otherworld" would not be one of them. But I think a Yinkini with the otherworld rune might have some very narrow magic allowing him or her to see all sorts of otherworld beings and magics (there is the one child of Yinkin (Alusar I think?) who is known for seeing hidden things). So maybe that particular Yinkini would not have the right rune to use the jumping and chasing magic or something like that, but they would have something else that obviously mattered to the player. Or a Lankhor My follower with the fire rune might learn some magic from some other source that made use of those fire abilities. So it might be more like taking option 1b rather than 1a, rather than option 2 instead of 1.
At least, my thoughts, not having read the actual rules yet.
And yes, I'm one of those ones who likes playing characters who gifts and abilities don't always line up well with their roles. The big hulking wizard, the hunter who has a way with words, the happy farmer who needs to become a priest of a war god....so it is most probable that at some point I'll be making a character whose runes don't line up with their magic so well.
Regards;
--Bryan